by Robert Wilkinson
The Full Moon of Sun in Virgo and Moon in Pisces gives a look back as we focus on “hearing the call to renewal” set into motion by Saturn in June. This one prepares us for an adventure in the near future, showing us what we need before we set sail into a new life phase. Have courage, as a new life beckons!
As with all Full Moons, use the light you’ve been seeing and expressing since the New Moon, and give it form and focus through anchoring those themes in expression. This is the Light of concentration on inner spiritual energies as it will externalize through emotional or social training and self-discipline expressed through a renewal.
This distributing, practical, “expansively grounding” Full Moon occurs at 6:36 pm PDT on August 30, 2:36 am BST September 1, and falls at the 8th degree of Virgo and Pisces. It continues to put the focus to the emotional, social, and cultural levels of life and allows us to begin our entrance into a transfigured reality. Continuing the theme that proceeds at each Full Moon as they move through each polarity, this one gives us the ability to express our discernment and willingness to serve in ways that ground the life renewal in progress.
Today’s Full Moon post will be an overview of the Lunation and some of its primary qualities. In parts 2 and 3 we’ll cover the Sabian Symbols, aspects, distributions, and patterns.
An Overview
This Full Moon refines our quest for self-renewal through illuminating some sort of “self-induced training” which prepares us for the new adventure soon to come. With Venus on its stationary direct degree, we now stand ready to move forward, having explored new ways to express our hearts, creativity, and affections. This encourages us to join with others in a grand adventure of some sort, with continued returns happening the next two weeks.
As with all Full Moons, use the light you’ve been seeing and expressing since the New Moon, and give it form and focus to see how to anchor those themes in expression. This Full Moon brings the Light of the Leo New Moon which has been taking us inward to concentrate on our inner powers to release and/or demonstrate some heart power. This period requires our whole-hearted acceptance of expressing our heart’s desire, turning away from excuses for non-action so that we may “just do it.”
This Full Moon shows Venus stationary direct leading the Sun, thus becoming “the entry to the great Light.” This means our affections, spontaneity, heart radiance, and noble values are the means by which we come to illumination, so be heartfelt as you withdraw from old dramas and reap the “reward of growth from outer to inner realms” and express the serenity you’ve attained “through the overcoming of storms.” This will shift at the coming “Inferior Conjunction” of Mercury retrograde with the Sun, when Mercury will become the “gateway to the Light.”
Is the Sun Following the Moon, or the Moon Following the Sun?
This Lunation is the fifth Full Moon where the Sun is in a different sign (Virgo) than it was in the Leo New Moon two weeks ago. We are now into “the reverse order” of the Sun/Moon relationship cycle, as the Light of the New Moon is in a different sign than the Light of the Full Moon.
There are two patterns; one is when the Full Moon Sun is the same sign as the previous New Moon Sun, and the other is when the Full Moon Sun is in the next sign from the Sun in the previous New Moon. The Sun was in the same sign in both the New Moon and Full Moon, the so-called “natural” order, between April 2019 and August 2020. At the August 2020 Full Moon we entered the “reverse pattern” of the Sun of the Full Moon occupying the sign after the New Moon Sun, since the previous New Moon Sun was at 29 Cancer and that Full Moon Sun was at 12 Leo.
August 2021 brought us the New Moon Sun at 17 Leo and Full Moon Sun is at 30 Leo, beginning a new “natural order” sequence which continued through the New Moon of late February 2023 at 2 Pisces which was followed by the Full Moon at 17 Pisces. This shifted back into the “reverse order” sequence in April 2023 with a New Moon at 30 Aries followed by a Full Moon Sun at 15 Taurus. You can find out more about the “seed forms” of the New Moon two weeks ago by going to the archives.
Past As Prologue
The 2020-22 Eclipses moved us all in new directions, reorienting wherever we have Taurus, Cancer, Gemini, Scorpio, and Sagittarius in our charts. All Eclipses are “Cosmic recyclers,” removing what is obsolete in our lives. These losses clean out psychic and physical spaces so we can find new life substance. Due to what we’ve eliminated the past 2 years we now have a wider view of our life and the Life around us as humanity begins a new 20 year Aquarian era.
As you know from other articles, 2020 was the last year of a 200 year Earth era, with Air power building that year launching a 200 year Air era on the December Solstice with Jupiter conjuncting Saturn at 1 Aquarius. However, we will still be “under the beams” of the powerful conjunctions in Capricorn, since between January and March 2020 we began new Saturn/Pluto, Jupiter/Pluto, Mars/Jupiter, Mars/Pluto, and Mars/Saturn cycles. The first of these launched a new 33 year era into motion.
Due to these conjunctions in late Capricorn and both Mars/Saturn and Jupiter/Saturn conjunctions at 1 Aquarius, we are in a long term period of finding wisdom by understanding transfiguration and enlightenment as verbs rather than nouns. We’ve now officially taken the first step into the coming Aquarian era. While this is not yet “The Age of Aquarius,” this is the final intensification of those energies which will sprout seeds in the second quarter of the century which will take us across the threshold of the Great Age soon after 2050. And to note, there will be plenty of people and ideas from the Age of Pisces which will continue into the next century as part of the bridging process from past to future as humanity discovers new Aquarian ideas and sheds old Piscean ones.
Planetary Distribution
At this Full Moon, the span occupied by the inner planets (in this chart Venus at 13 Leo through Mars at 3 Libra) is 49+ degrees, a fairly wide span. This will be the primary area stimulated in our charts. At this time because all the inner planets are far outside the outer planet span, we’ve now shifted out of several months of Full Moon Bucket Jones patterns and have begun a run of different patterns over the coming months.
Right now all the planets are clustered in 6 signs. As each of these has gaps between them, as well as within them, the planets are now doing “dual pulses” in their signs. From now through November, the inner planets will be at the far side of the zodiac from the outer planets. This month the Moon adds an Pisces energy within the span occupied by the outer planets.
We now have two wide unoccupied spans with a group of planets opposing another group of planets, creating a clear “See Saw” Jones pattern. In this chart we have 2 oppositions; Moon to Sun and Mercury. This creates a “tensional awareness field” involving 6-22 Virgo/Pisces. We’ll go into the Evolutionary configurations in part 3.
At this time we have the 10 traditional planets occupying 6 signs. Currently, the outer planet occupied span begins with Pluto in late Capricorn, then moves through Saturn in in early Pisces, Neptune in late Pisces, Jupiter in mid-Taurus and finishes with Uranus in late Taurus. At this time, there’s an empty span between Uranus and Venus of 79+ degrees, and another between Mars and Pluto that’s 116+, creating a classic “See Saw” chart pattern.
The See Saw Pattern and how it works
This type of spread, with two or more planets on one side of the map and the others on the other side of the map, with at least one or two oppositions to define the axis of awareness, creates a “See Saw” Jones Pattern. Where a See Saw pattern is present, stay focused and balanced at the center while taking note of the periphery of things, and don't get off on a tangent or limb.
The See Saw cautions us not to get marginalized or go off on tangents, and find a whole view to any opposition that can include both views and more. This shows a need to see all sides of any opposing views or trends. It gives an excellent ability to learn how to triangulate using approaches which transcend the polarity, as well as find ways to "draw a bigger circle" around any opposing forces that encompasses both phases of the polarization to create progress and understanding.
The oppositions in Virgo/Pisces define the “zone of oppositional awareness” in this chart, and includes the Moon, Mercury, and Sun. Expect the most intense awareness to come to planets between 6-22 Virgo/Pisces.
Is the Grand Irrationality A Factor in this Full Moon?
No, and blessedly, will never be a factor activating the collective for the rest of our lives. This was a 30 year phenomenon which has now passed out of orb, and we are finally back to Neptune sextile Pluto and the coming Uranus sextile Neptune and trine Pluto. The spiritual field has shifted for the better!
If you want to know more about this hard edged Special Evolutionary configuration in play for three decades, I created an article which sums up the three versions of the Grand Irrationality in play during those years. I discuss what it is and which zones of the zodiac have been most impacted and when. You can find all you need to know about this configuration associated with widespread irrationality and hard-edged “forks in the road of destiny” we’ve all confronted at various times by going to The Grand Irrationality is Over (1993-2023).
This evolutionary configuration has been activated over the years when any planet moved through any of the hot zones of the configuration. However, even though it’s ended remember that almost everyone on Earth born the past 30 years has this in their charts! And all the eclipses these past years have also had it, including the April and May eclipses. So we’ll still have it working in the background for years to come. I’ll speak more about the aspects in part 3 when I cover the special configurations.
Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend
We now have begun the long voyage of Saturn’s transit of Pisces. While in Aquarius 2021-2022 it taught us shortcuts to illumination and instructed us in the wise use of spiritual energies for many months, as well as the spiritual power of gratitude and appreciation. This is a hello to the lessons of compassion and forgiveness shown by Pisces.
Saturn, ruler of our Capricorn and Aquarius sectors and any natal or progressed planets we have in those signs, is now retrograde and bringing us “a call to renewal.” In the coming 2 weeks we’ll have to navigate some complex interactions as we embrace “community values.” Though Saturn can feel heavy and bring serious life lessons, it is the part of us which can take charge of our lives and destiny by using Saturn’s virtues in the right way and time. Our ability to steer our “ship of personality” into its rightful “role of destiny” has brought us to the threshold of new parts to play on the stage of Life.
We’re now in a productive period of Jupiter making favorable aspects to Saturn over the next few months. The friction between Saturn and Uranus in 2021-2022 showed us what mattered to us and what didn’t, with our transformation into the roles we’re to play determined by how we’ve trained. Uranus awakened us to new roles to play, while Saturn brought new mutations and an accelerated evolution which are part of us learning to use spiritual power effectively through deliberation rather than instinct.
I explain how Saturn and Uranus work together to awaken us to our Higher Powers to take command of our destiny in my book Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend. Saturn helps us give form and structure to our quest for Self-realization; in Capricorn, it taught us to accept and use personal power within a socially responsible context, while in Aquarius it taught us how to make a greater contribution to our world, coming together with others in a collective effort “ensouled by a great vision.” Coupled with Uranus having awakened us to the fact that it’s already a new time, a new way, and a new day, we’re “breaking on through to the other side” into an unfolding Higher awareness.
The book was written for both astrologers and non-astrologers. Even those with little or no understanding of astrology will benefit from understanding why you had to make certain choices at crucial times that shaped your life in profound ways.
Each time you read any section of this book you will find new insights about your power to throw off all the attitudes and memories which hold you back from finding and living the life and purpose. If you’ve haven’t already gotten your copy, you can go to the Saturn: Spiritual Master, Spiritual Friend page on Amazon and this should be all you need to order your copy. It’s also available on Amazon and as an ebook on Kindle, so if that’s more to your liking, go for it! If you would, whether you’ve gotten the ebook or the paperback, please write a review on the Amazon site, since the more reviews, the more of a boost they give it.
On A Final Note
See you in the near future with parts two and three on this Full Moon which shows us a new phase of training as we renew our lives in significant ways. This Full Moon will be exceptionally blessed for those with planets around 2-6 Pisces, 14-18 Taurus, 26-30 Cancer, 8-12 Libra, and 20-24 Sagittarius. Based in the actions we’ve had to take since the New Moon, the next two weeks will be a significant turning point in bringing forth our individuality in new ways.
Venus is a key player due to being the ruler of Jupiter and Uranus and the planet “leading the Light” of the Sun. In this Lunation, Venus stands on the threshold of a new era of inner growth being translated into our relationships, with rewards for retiring from old dramas. She can provide us courage as we turn to face the future. As She is septile Mars and both are triseptile the Moon, She anchors a “Kite configuration” which I’ll discuss in part 3. This is a “fork in the road of past and future,” where we confront a new day dawning at the turning of past to future. We’re now at the end of our Venus retrograde review, and stand at the threshold of a new day.
If you want to know more about your Venusian power to shape your likes and affections into enjoyable interactions and friendships, please consider getting a copy of my book The Magic of Venus: Friendships, Soul Mates, and Twin Flames. It is the most comprehensive book on Venus ever written, and explains why we attract who we do and how to create more satisfying relationships in the future. You will understand the foundations of long term healthy relationships and friendships, why Soul Mates come into our lives, and how to dance with your inner Beloved and mirror that to your world.
A View of How We Got Here
Since 2019, we’ve all seen taken on new roles and responsibilities which brought new social effectiveness in 2021-22. Where we have late Capricorn and early Aquarius in our chart is the focus of coming years. The compressions in Capricorn led us to personal power and very long wave cycles showing our work for years to come. The March 2022 Aquarius compression created cycles of learning how to fulfill a greater role in the long wave Aquarian energy.
We’ve entered a new chapter in our spiritual journey at a fork in the road of our collective destiny. 2020 was about forging our connection with the World Soul, our Wisdom, and our greater dedication. 2021 began the new era in our lives. We’re all wiser than we used to be, have been given ample opportunities to value our heart connections with our friends, and display the vaster spiritual awareness we share with our Brothers and Sisters.
2022 brought us training and skill, divine mutations, endings and beginnings. 2023 began with one last look back before the rapid acceleration that’s been happening the past 5 months. We’re now turning several corners over the next two weeks, so with all strength and courage, enjoy hearing the call to renewal!
I’ll see you soon when we’ll discuss Sabian Symbols, evolutionary configurations, and other important chart factors.
This article explains past, present, and future compressions, where they fall, and who they affect. The Great Compressions of early 2020, 2021, and 2022
This one explains the January 2020 compression and the multiple conjunctions setting themes for decades! The Great Compression of January 2020 – Mercury, Sun, Saturn and Pluto all Conjunct in Capricorn
© Copyright 2023 Robert Wilkinson
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